OFSTED report on Children's Services published

Following our recent inspection, OFSTED has now published its report on Children's Services in Warwickshire.  Whilst the inspection has found that Warwickshire Children’s Services ‘requires improvement', overall we are very much moving in the right direction.  This is evidenced in the OFSTED report and the assessment that ‘children are safe in Warwickshire’.

We are on a journey of continuous improvement and striving for the transformation of children's services so as to achieve excellence.  We accept the report reflects where we are on our improvement journey and support the recommendations made by OFSTED, which once delivered will strengthen further our direction of travel.

Positive Findings

The OFSTED report endorsed that children are safe in Warwickshire.

Practice was praised in a number of areas, including our work with our most vulnerable children through, the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH); arrangements for tackling Child Sexual Exploitation, our work around children missing from home, care and education and effectively supporting children looked after with disabilities.

The report also highlighted the effective work undertaken by our family support workers, our Emergency Duty Team and the high quality of social work assessments.

Adoption is a real strength and we have more “fostering to adopt placements” than many other authorities, this means that children become part of their new permanent families at the earliest opportunity. 

Our work with Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking is culturally sensitive and responsive to these vulnerable young people’s needs.  We work closely with Care Leavers to ensure they are aware of their entitlements to financial support to set up home or to access education and training and to ensure their achievements and progress are recognised.

The report noted we have a vibrant and active Children in Care Council (CICC), supported by a well-designed system of elections to ensure children looked after and care leavers of various ages are involved.

The Inspection was extremely complimentary about our staff and the relationships which they forge with children, young people and families. 

Ofsted Action Plan 

The 12 recommendations and additional learning from the report have been incorporated into an action plan.

Our top four priorities are:

1. recruiting additional social workers to ensure the size of our caseloads are reduced
2. embedding the case-recording system
3. improving our strategic engagement with Health
4. working closely with partners to ensure children and families get the right help at the right time.

There are some specific actions set out in the plan relating to the Virtual School, improving education, employment and training opportunities for care leavers, and working with partners to ensure the Early Help Strategy is clearly understood and delivered in partnership with all agencies.

Crashing Theatre Performance and updates to CSE, Missing and Trafficking Procedures

The Warwickshire CSE, Missing and Trafficking Team would like to invite all multi-agency staff working with children to a fantastic training opportunity: a performance of the innovative and powerful play 'Crashing'.

'Crashing' is a drama production which highlights the sexual exploitation of boys and young men. The production is hard hitting but really raises awareness
that CSE can happen to boys and young men too.

This will also be an opportunity for Warwickshire Safeguarding Board to launch the updated Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE), Missing and Trafficking Procedures within Warwickshire.

Sessions last for 2 hours and there are 3 performances over the day. The courses will run on 16th October 2017 at Warwick Bridge House Theatre.

BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL FOR THIS FREE TRAINING COURSE. 

See this flyer for more information and how to book.

Statutory School Census - 2017/18 Academic Year

The statutory school census dates of the 2017/18 academic year are as follows:

The data collected via these returns are used by the DFE for funding purposes, to inform policy decisions, underpins Analyse School Performance (previously RAISEonline) and school performance tables.

It is therefore vitally important that you are satisfied with the accuracy of your schools’ return before uploading it to the LA, and that it is returned by the prescribed deadline.

Prior to each census ICT Development Service will up-load census documentation to the Warwickshire Learning Platform (WeLearn365) which can be found at: http://bit.ly/midaspages and on the download site http://wsd.we-learn.com/downloads. These will assist you in preparing and running your census returns.

If you have any technical queries regarding the SIMS system and generating the return please contact the ICT Development Service Desk on (01926) 414100.

If you have any other questions about this data collection, please contact Michelle Ali, Insight Service on 01926 742169 or by e-mail insight@warwickshire.gov.uk

Thank you for your continued support with these collections.

Insight Service
Performance, Resources Group

Changes to exclusions guidance from September 2017

The DfE has released updated guidance on exclusion for maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units.

When does the new statutory guidance come into force?

The new guidance comes into effect from 1 September 2017. Any exclusion issued before 1 September 2017 which is still subject to review would need to be considered under the 2012 statutory guidance.

Does the new statutory guidance change the exclusions process?

Whilst the new guidance makes changes to certain aspects of the exclusions process, the legal framework for excluding a child remains as it was before; the legislation and regulations (The School Discipline (Pupil Exclusions and Reviews) (England) Regulations 2012) remain unchanged.

What is the key change we need to be aware of?

The new guidance places a much greater emphasis on the role of governing boards in the exclusions process. Where required to do so, the governing board must meet to consider the exclusion by the head teacher – which is nothing new. However, the new guidance makes very clear that the focus of the Independent Review Panel (IRP) must be on the decision of the governing board, rather than the head teacher. It is therefore essential that governors actively consider the facts, test the evidence, properly consider all relevant policies, and check whether all procedures were followed given that it is their decision that will be scrutinised at the IRP stage. At least one member of the governor panel will need to attend any IRP in order to explain the decision taken by the panel and answer any questions.

How should we prepare for this change?

Given the focus of the new guidance, we recommend that school leaders and governors read through and understand the new exclusions framework to ensure they are prepared for the greater focus on their decision-making. If they do not apply the correct legal tests or fail to follow due procedures, they risk their decision being quashed by an IRP and will have to re-take the decision with a presumption of reinstatement, or face a £4,000 fine.

Schools will also have to review any exclusion letters that they send out as the guidance requires some additional information to be sent out to parents following exclusion.

What other changes have been made?

The new guidance has also made changes to clarify some of the existing rules and procedures such as converting/extending exclusions, the process for reconsideration of the governors’ decision and adding further guidance on the funding that follows a permanently excluded pupil. 

A new Annex B contains non-statutory guidance for head teachers providing

• advice on the procedures that need to be in place before excluding a child
• and the process to follow after an exclusion

A new Annex C contains an additional FAQ section for parents, which answers some key questions that parents are likely to have.

Is there any change to the role of the SEN Expert?

Most of the provisions around Special Educational Needs (SEN) experts remain the same and parents are still able to request a SEN expert at the IRP stage regardless of whether the school believes the child has SEN. The new guidance now allows the SEN expert to provide advice to the IRP in writing, if parents agree. However, parents still have a right to request the SEN expert attends the hearing and are able to request an adjournment until the SEN expert can attend if the hearing is in progress. This suggests that the apparent flexibility is unlikely to be of much use to local authorities/trusts organising IRPs.

There is also a useful article in The Key (subscription required) which summarises the changes.

Deadline for checking performance tables data

Is your school compliant with SEND requirements?

Prior to Ofsted calling desktop checks are made to ensure school websites comply with statutory guidance.  If you are a maintained school there is a checklist available on the Department for Education site:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/what-maintained-schools-must-publish-online

Academies and Free Schools need to check their funding agreements to find out what they are required to publish.

A recent audit and several school inspection reports have found gaps in relation to Special Educational Needs. 

Special Educational Needs and Disability Requirements (SEND)

You must publish an SEN Information Report, which details your school’s policy for pupils with SEND.  The LA has produced a checklist to help ensure your report complies with the statutory guidance:

 In particular schools must include:

• the admission arrangements for pupils with SEND;
• the steps taken to prevent pupils with SEND from being treated less favourably than other pupils;
• details of your school’s access facilities for pupils with SEND;
• the Accessibility Plan, showing how you are planning to increase access over time for pupils with disabilities;
• the name and contact details of the SENCo;
• a link to the Local Authority’s Local Offer site: http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/send
• how parents contact the SEND Information and Advice Service: https://www.family-action.org.uk/what-we-do/children-families/sendias/warwickshire-parent-partnership-service/

Our recent audit found that many Access Plans have not been reviewed and updated for several years, were not resourced and did not cover the three required areas, that is, how the school is:

• increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the curriculum;
• improving the physical environment of schools to enable those with disabilities to take better advantage of education, benefits, facilities and services provided; and
• improving the availability of accessible information to those with disabilities.

For more advice and to access a Model Accessibility Plan:

http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/schoolsdisabilityequality

Including children with medical needs

Our audit also showed that some schools have not responded to the DfE guidance “Supporting pupils at School with Medical Conditions”, which came into effect from September 2014:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3

Please ensure that your school has a policy for supporting pupils with medical conditions that is reviewed regularly and there is a named person with overall responsibility for policy implementation and ensuring that sufficient staff are suitably trained.  For a summary of what is required please see:

Our Disability Equality webpage has further advice, however, you will also find the following site available with valuable advice and several model policies and templates:

http://medicalconditionsatschool.org.uk/

It is vital that Health Care Plans are in place for pupils with medical needs and that these are regularly reviewed.  Any concerns about pupils who need health care plans or reviews, please contact Warwickshire’s School Health & Well Being Service on 03300 245 204 or via warwickshireSH&WBService@compass-uk.org.

Have your say: Warwickshire SEND Information, Advice and Support Services Survey

For the attention of Headteachers and SENCO/Learning Support leads.

Deadline for responses - Friday 29th September 2017

This is an opportunity to give us your opinion on Warwickshire SEND Information, Advice and Support Services (this independent service is also known as SENDIAS in Warwickshire and used to be called Parent Partnership).

Warwickshire County Council is looking to re-tender these services after four years. We want to look at what works well and what could be done differently in the future.

We want your help with this so we tender for the best services to meet the changing needs of children and young people with SEND and their families.

We have valuable feedback from people who use SENDIAS currently. However we want to find out what you think and feel is important for the next four years. This includes people who don’t use SENDIAS services at the moment.

Who is this survey for?

• Young people with SEND aged 25 and under
• Parents/carers of children and young people with SEND
• Professionals who work with them.

Please click on the link to the short survey below and give us your views:

SENDIAS Survey

Please note the survey closes on Friday 29 September 2017.

Home to School Transport Consultation

Warwickshire County Council is considering a number of changes to the current Home to School Transport Policy. Parents/carers, children and young people, professionals and other members of the public are being asked to comment on the proposals.

Full details of the proposals can be found at:

www.warwickshire.gov.uk/ask

All schools have been sent an email and a letter about the consultation along with a poster to display, please let the Education Transport team know if you haven't received yours by calling 01926 412929.

There are a number of different ways to participate in the consultation.

Our preferred option is for you to complete the online survey at:

www.warwickshire.gov.uk/ask

You can also contact us in one of the following ways:

In Writing – send your views to: transportconsultation@warwickshire.gov.uk

In Person - You can also attend one of the drop-in sessions detailed below in order to ask questions about the proposals;

The consultation runs from 7 September until midnight on 2 November 2017.

General Data Protection Regulation – Is your school / academy trust ready?

Significant changes to the law on data protection will be coming into force on 25 May 2018.

Every organisation in the UK, including schools / academy trusts, will be required to comply with the new legislation – known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

To help organisations prepare for the changes, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has put together a 12-step guidance note which we recommend all school leaders should be aware of.

Do you need help measuring the wellbeing of pupils in your school?

Developed by the Evidence Based Practice Unit (EBPU), alongside the Big Lottery Fund, CORC, the University of Manchester and Common Room, the Wellbeing Measurement Framework (WMF) is a collection of measures that allow schools to understand the wellbeing of their student population. Students complete the WMF survey online and the results are analysed and shared with the school.

This year, 130 schools from across England will be able to participate for free. In terms of the free support provided, the programme will able to offer:

• support in administering the consent process for participating pupils
• access to the electronic survey
• analysis of survey responses from your school, benchmarked with schools from other areas

The organisers would be looking to liaise with schools from September-time onward, with a view to survey data being collected from around January 2018.

As well as a list of participating pupils, schools will also need to provide some additional information about students participating, e.g. some basic demographic data. The commitment required is to ensure that all Year 7 and 9 pupils, where there is consent, complete the survey each year for 3 years.

The deadline for expressing interest is 13th October 2017.

For more information, you can download this flyer.

See also the CORC website for more details about the WMF and to download example survey questions for free: http://www.corc.uk.net/headstart-resources/

To register your interest please email ebpu@annafreud.org. Interested schools/organisations will receive an expression of interest form which will give you more detailed information about what is involved, and asks for some basic information about your school. 

CORC launches free wellbeing eLearning module

The Child Outcomes Research Consortium (CORC), in partnership with the Anna Freud Learning Network, has developed its first ever online eLearning module, aimed at schools and non-specialist staff working in children and young people’s mental health.

The topic of the module is: ‘Measuring mental wellbeing to improve the lives of children and young people’

You can find out more information, and how to access the module, on the CORC website.

A message from Chris Malone, new Head of Education & Learning

I hope you have had a positive start to the term. I am looking forward to meeting education leaders, teachers, practitioners and of course children across Warwickshire, so that I can learn more about your current successes and challenges. My most recent experience is as Strategic Lead for Education Quality in Oxfordshire, following a long career in education across a wide range of roles including primary headship, inspection and commissioning.

In Oxfordshire I have established a successful county-wide system-led school improvement service in partnership with the Teaching School Alliance. I look forward to finding out more about your Teaching Schools, and your ‘system leaders’. I completely support the new role of councils as one of the partners around the table of school improvement; you are the experts!

At this turbulent time in education, I fly three flags: 

The first reflects my value-driven approach; making a difference. I enjoy working with teams and partners to maximise the impact of all that we do. 

The second is a relentless focus on children and their educational achievements, especially learners less likely to succeed. I look forward to visiting your schools and am especially keen to hear about children eligible for pupil premium who have out-performed their peers. I believe strongly that leadership in education is about maximising children’s life chances, and not about bureaucracy. I sometimes remind myself of Charles Dickens’ image of the Circumlocution Office where papers pile up and nothing is achieved, to make sure that I do not fall into that trap. This is a helpful reminder as we shape the new world of academies and trusts. 

The third is the curriculum. We know that Ofsted is planning big changes for next year and I anticipate a welcome revival in the value placed on the curriculum as an enabler, both academically, and for the well-being of children and adults. 

I look forward to meeting you in person in due course, and meanwhile I invite you to email me with examples of recent successes in your school. Do send me digital photos as there is a blank wall in my office beside the map of all Warwickshire’s schools.

Chris begins in her post on 25th September. You can contact her by email on chrismalone@warwickshire.gov.uk. 

Provisional Headline Results for 2017

Primary Assessment Results

Congratulations to Warwickshire’s pupils and teachers on another successful year of assessment results.

EYFSP – The percentage of pupils achieving a good level of development increased again in 2017 with 73% of Warwickshire’s pupils achieving this measure. This is up 2 percentage points (ppts) on last year's result for Warwickshire and on the national 2017 average, which currently stands at 71%.

Phonics Year 1 – In 2017, the percentage of Year 1 pupils in Warwickshire working at or above the required standard in the phonics recoding test was 82%, the same as in 2016.  This just beats the current national average of 81%.

For KS1 – 66% of Warwickshire pupils achieved the expected standard or above in the combined Reading, Writing and Maths measure in 2017, 4ppts higher than the previous year and 2ppts higher than the current provisional national result of 64%. 13% of Warwickshire pupils achieved the ‘working at greater depth’ standard compared to 11% of pupils nationally for the same Reading, Writing and Maths measure.

For KS2 – 62% of Warwickshire pupils achieved the expected standard or above in the combined Reading, Writing and Maths measure, 1ppt above the current provisional national result of 61%. 10% of Warwickshire pupils achieved the ‘working at greater depth/high’ standard compared to 9% of pupils nationally for the same Reading, Writing and Maths measure.

Progress data is not yet available to the Local Authority. You can view your school's progress data via the KS2 Performance Tables checking exercise website: https://tableschecking.education.gov.uk/

Please look out for an e-mail from our Insight Service (insight@warwickshire.gov.uk) containing your school's and consortium's data position statements. These contain the latest 2017 results and were sent out on 1st and 4th September.

Please note that all 2017 results are still provisional and could be subject to minor changes. Further analysis of individual subjects, published national and other benchmarking data will be made available by the DfE during the Autumn term.

Secondary Examination Results

Thank you to all secondary schools and academies that posted results on both examination result days in August. Congratulations go to all Warwickshire students and teachers for the success that was achieved.

2017 saw the first set of English and Maths GCSE results reported using the new 9-1 grading system.

Key Stage 4 - Based on a 91% response rate (32 school results), 70% of pupils achieved the new Standard Pass (9-4) in English and Maths with 48% achieving the new Strong Pass (9-5) in both English and Maths.

The average Attainment 8 score stands at 49.3 and the percentage of Warwickshire pupils achieving the EBacc (with Strong Pass in English and Maths) stands at 24%.

Progress 8 data is not yet available to the Local Authority. These results will be made available by the DfE later in the Autumn term. They will also publish provisional KS4 results on their statistics website mid-October time.

Post 16 - Based on a 78% response rate (21 school and college results), 16% of Warwickshire students achieved the AAB or higher standard in at least 2 facilitating subjects.  The average A Level grade achieved was a C+.

There is no national KS4 or Post 16 data available at this point.

Please note that all 2017 results are still very provisional and will be subject to change. Published national and other benchmarking data will be made available by the DfE during the Autumn term.

School Improvement Fund bid successful

We're delighted to let you know that the collaborative bid from Warwickshire Local Authority and Warwickshire's Teaching Schools to the DfE Strategic Improvement Fund has been successful.  Just under £500,000 has been awarded to support school improvement activity in identified primary and secondary schools across the county.

The funding will challenge the underachievement of disadvantaged pupils through three specific areas:

• improving the reading skills of boys;
• maths problem solving and;
• developing leadership and governance.

Projects will be starting after half term and run until summer 2019 with activity led by Teaching Schools.

Margot Brown, former Headteacher at Priors Field Primary School in Kenilworth, has been appointed to co-ordinate the overall project and will be based at the Local Authority.

We would like to thank all of the schools that supported the writing of the bid and your prompt responses to requests for information.

More information will be shared in due course.

Changes to organisation of the SENDAR Plan Coordinators

From September SENDAR Plan Coordinators will be organised slightly differently.  Up to now we have had a Core Team covering new referrals, a Conversion Team transferring Statements to Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plans, a Post-16 Team largely covering support to young people leaving compulsory schooling and a number of temporary workers helping to clear the backlog of Statement to Plan conversions.

From 1^st September 2017 all Plan Coordinators will work in small teams assigned to geographic areas and will cover all work, whether transferring statements or managing new referrals.  This model facilitates strong professional relationships with all stakeholders (families, schools, colleges and local professionals) and prepares the service for the post SEND change period from 1^st April 2018.

Our Post-16 team will be called Post-16 Plan Coordinators.  Their role will be similar to that of other Plan Coordinators but will focus on young people preparing for adulthood and all the extra responsibilities that this entails.

We will continue to have a small number of temporary workers supporting our work in reaching the 31^st March 2018 deadline with all Statements transferred to EHC Plans.

Please refer to this list to find the SENDAR Plan Coordinator for your school.

Skills for Employment programme grant

The Skills Challenge grant worth up to £40,000 was launched in April 2017. Education providers working with business partners can submit expressions of interest to deliver projects which would address specific skills challenges. Two schools have made submissions to date.

The deadline for submissions is 5pm on 29^th September 2017.

Full details and the expression of interest form are here: http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/sfegrants. 

If you wish to discuss the grant, please call 01926 418027.

OFSTED report on Children's Services published

Following our recent inspection, OFSTED has now published its report on Children's Services in Warwickshire.  Whilst the inspection has found that Warwickshire Children’s Services ‘requires improvement', overall we are very much moving in the right direction.  This is evidenced in the OFSTED report and the assessment that ‘children are safe in Warwickshire’.

We are on a journey of continuous improvement and striving for the transformation of children's services so as to achieve excellence.  We accept the report reflects where we are on our improvement journey and support the recommendations made by OFSTED, which once delivered will strengthen further our direction of travel.

Positive Findings

The OFSTED report endorsed that children are safe in Warwickshire.

Practice was praised in a number of areas, including our work with our most vulnerable children through, the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH); arrangements for tackling Child Sexual Exploitation, our work around children missing from home, care and education and effectively supporting children looked after with disabilities.

The report also highlighted the effective work undertaken by our family support workers, our Emergency Duty Team and the high quality of social work assessments.

Adoption is a real strength and we have more “fostering to adopt placements” than many other authorities, this means that children become part of their new permanent families at the earliest opportunity. 

Our work with Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking is culturally sensitive and responsive to these vulnerable young people’s needs.  We work closely with Care Leavers to ensure they are aware of their entitlements to financial support to set up home or to access education and training and to ensure their achievements and progress are recognised.

The report noted we have a vibrant and active Children in Care Council (CICC), supported by a well-designed system of elections to ensure children looked after and care leavers of various ages are involved.

The Inspection was extremely complimentary about our staff and the relationships which they forge with children, young people and families. 

Ofsted Action Plan 

The 12 recommendations and additional learning from the report have been incorporated into an action plan.

Our top four priorities are:

1. recruiting additional social workers to ensure the size of our caseloads are reduced
2. embedding the case-recording system
3. improving our strategic engagement with Health
4. working closely with partners to ensure children and families get the right help at the right time.

There are some specific actions set out in the plan relating to the Virtual School, improving education, employment and training opportunities for care leavers, and working with partners to ensure the Early Help Strategy is clearly understood and delivered in partnership with all agencies.

Updates from Warwickshire Music

The latest Warwickshire Music magazine is available to download here.

You can also find a list of of group activities and County Groups available to pupils living across the Warwickshire area here.

Warwickshire Music County Group membership includes:

• Coaching by professional musicians
• Performance opportunities in major venues in Warwickshire and beyond
• Courses and tours

For more details get in touch with Warwickshire Music by phone on 01926 742630 or by email on music@warwickshire.gov.uk 

Warwick Poppy Appeal

The Big Knitted Christmas Tree 2018

All Saints' Church, Emscote, would like to highlight the following activity, open for schools to participate in:

Spend time with others to knit squares for our BIG KNITTED CHRISTMAS TREE!

Your squares will join those knitted by others to create a 17ft Community Christmas tree on display at All Saints Church, Emscote from December 2018.

Come and see what we build together! Groups already committed to the project are St Michael's Church, Northgate Methodist Craft Group, The Mothers' Union, The GAP Community Centre, Emscote Infant School, All Saints School, Warwick Books, Warwick Wools.

See this flyer for more information.  The deadline for a knitted 'tree of intent' is Thursday 24th November 2017

To express interest, contact All Saints church office:
Telephone: 01926 492073
Email: allsaints.emscote@outlook.com 

New Governor Services Website

Welcome to a new academic year in Warwickshire.  We hope that you and your family have had a restful, refreshing and well-deserved break and we look forward to working with you during the new school year.

We are proud to announce that after months of planning, design, tweaking and testing our new Warwickshire Governor Services website is now live.  We feel our website reveals a new look that reflects governance in Warwickshire today and will provide current and prospective governors with useful and up to date information.

We continue to develop our document library / resources section on WES and GovernorHub.  Please can we encourage you have a look to see what documents / resources are available to support you in your role.

We really hope you enjoy visiting our website and we welcome your feedback.

Training and Support

Below is a list of the training offered by Warwickshire Governor Services for the first half of this Autumn Term. Email gailevans@warwickshire.gov.uk if you would like to enquire or make a booking:

Effective Clerking
Wed 20th September 2017
Bulkington Village Centre, Bedworth
0930 – 1530

Using School Performance Data (Primary)
Monday 25th September 2017
Nicholas Chamberlaine School, Bedworth
1900 - 2100

Headteacher Appraisal & Teacher Pay and Performance
Tues 26th September 2017
Stratford High School
1900 - 2100

Induction: the Effective Governance of Schools
Wed 27th Sep, 4th and 11th Oct 2017
Aylesford School, Warwick
1900 - 2130

Child Protection and Safeguarding
Thurs 28th Sep 2017
Stratford College
1000 - 1230

Engaging with parents and the Community
Thurs 28th Sep 2017
Nicholas Chamberlaine School, Bedworth
1900 - 2100

Headteacher Appraisal & Teacher Pay and Performance
Mon 2nd October 2017
Boughton Leigh Junior School, Rugby
1900 – 2100

Using School Performance Data (Secondary)
Tues 3rd October 2017
Myton School, Warwick
1900 – 2100

Induction: the Effective Governance of Schools
Mon 9th October 2017
Rugby College
0930 - 1630

Closing the Gap - the achievement of pupil groups
Tues 10th October 2017
Bulkington Village centre, Bedworth
1900 – 2100

Special Educational Needs & Disability and the Governing Body
Wed 11th October 2017
Aylesford School, Warwick
1900 – 2100

Preparing for Ofsted Inspection
Thurs 12th October 2017
Myton School, Warwick
1900 - 2100

Clerks Induction
Mon 16th October 2017
Stratford College
0930 - 1530

Clerking exclusion, appeals & complaints Hearings
Tues 17th October 2017
Nicholas Chamberlaine College, Bedworth
1900 - 2100

Headteacher Appraisal & Teacher pay and performance
Wed 18th Oct 2017
Pound Lane Learning Centre, Leamington spa
1000 - 1200

Essentials - Update for experienced governors
Thurs 19th Oct 2017
Stratford High school
1900 - 2100

Governor Services can also offer in-house training - get in touch at the email above for details.

Please note that all in-house training requests must be received by 31st December 2017 (maintained schools) and 31st March 2018 (academies).

Governing Board membership update

We are required to collect Governing Board membership information from maintained schools on behalf of the Local Authority and we keep this information on a central database.

The information is needed for a number of reasons including; governor recruitment purposes, in case of urgency and Ofsted inspections.

It’s that time of year when we will be asking Clerks of both maintained schools and academies to complete a School Governing Board Details form so that we can update our records.  This year we intend to supply Clerks with a copy of the records we hold to enable all records to be checked and updated.

We often send out communications to all schools and having up to date contact details helps you and certainly helps us to be better informed.

Edubase is changing

The DfE is developing a replacement for Edubase, to be known as ‘Get Information about Schools' (GIAS).

A link to the test version of GIAS can be found on the Edubase homepage, or can be accessed directly here.  The GIAS site’s news page provides regular updates, and the latest update 30^th August confirms:

Monday 18^th September – GIAS will be launched.

In preparation for this launch, users should stop making updates to Edubase from 5pm on Friday 15^th September as the new database will be frozen and data transferred to the new service.

We will continue to share any information that we receive but suggest Clerks and Chairs take a look at the GIAS news page for updates.

Patch Meetings 2017/18

Patch meetings provide the opportunity for Governors from all schools and academies to meet and share ideas and information. As Warwickshire is such a big county the meetings are held in 4 different locations giving governors the opportunity to attend one of the meetings.  All Governors are invited to attend but Governing Boards tend to elect a Patch Meeting Governor who attends and then shares the information with the rest of the governors.

Like any other training event or meeting, we do ask governors to confirm their attendance as this enables us to ensure we cater for the right number of people both in terms of refreshments and materials.

The dates of the Patch Meetings for 2017 / 2018 are:

All meetings start at 7.00pm and we aim to finish at 8.30pm (venues to be confirmed). 

Parent governor vacancy on O&S committee

There is currently a vacancy for a Parent Governor Representative on Warwickshire County Council's Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The committee reviews and scrutinises the provision of public services in Warwickshire relating to education and skills and services for children, families and young people including:

• Schools
• 16-19 years education
• Pre-school children
• Child protection
• Family support and social care
• Children with specific needs
• The Youth Service

This meeting is open to the public, unless otherwise stated.  An allowance is paid for the role which will require the successful candidate to attend between 5 & 8 meetings per year.  The meetings last approximately 2 hours are held primarily at Shire Hall in Warwick.

The following meeting dates have been arranged:

10:00am - 19^th September 2017 – Committee Room 2, Shire Hall, Warwick

10:00am – 14^th November 2017 – Committee Room 2, Shire Hall, Warwick

10:00am – 16^th January 2108 – Committee Room 2, Shire Hall, Warwick

10:00am – 13^th March 2018 – Committee Room 2, Shire Hall, Warwick

If you require any further information please do not hesitate to get in touch:

Ben Patel-Sadler

Democratic Services Officer

Tel: 01926 736 118

Email: benpatelsadler@warwickshire.gov.uk

Update: removal of elected governors

As you will be aware, from September 1^st 2017 maintained school governing boards have the power to remove elected parent and staff governors in the same way as they can remove co-opted governors. 

Statutory guidance published by the DfE says:

‘Governing bodies are expected only to exercise the power to remove an elected governor in exceptional circumstances where the actions or behaviour of the elected governor warrants removal rather than suspension.  The power should not be used simply to remove dissenting or challenging voices.'

In addition, from May 1^st 2017,  any person who has held office as an elected parent or staff governor and who is removed from the governing board during their term of office will be disqualified from serving or continuing to serve as a school governor for five years from the date of their removal.

You can access the amended Constitution Regulations here

Website compliance

Don’t forget your school website is a shop window to your setting, not only for parents but for other stakeholders including Ofsted who will review your website prior to an inspection.

We recommend you review your school website to ensure it is compliant using the guidance provided by the DfE and / or checklists which are available to download from GovernorHub or the WES document library.

What maintained schools must publish online

What academies, free schools and colleges should publish online

(Mainstream and special academies should refer to their own funding agreements).

Statutory guidance - The constitution of governing bodies of maintained schools clearly explains what information needs to be published in respect of governance.  It is considered best practice to review the information about the governing board on a “rolling basis” so that is it always accurate.

Safeguarding information for governors

Prevent Duty

Following the introduction of the Prevent Duty for schools two years ago, the University of Coventry recently published a research report on What the Prevent Duty means for School and Colleges in England. Drawing on a combination of interviews with school staff, interviews with Local Safeguarding Authority Prevent professionals and an online survey of people working in education, the report found that:

• The message that Prevent is about “all forms of extremism” and that it should form part of a schools’ wider safeguarding duty, was widely accepted by all;
• There has been some opposition around the requirement to teach British values, which is linked to the Prevent duty. Specifically, schools are uneasy about calling the values “British” and are unsure as to how to embed this into the school curriculum effectively;
• Staff who are not part of a school’s “safeguarding team”, or are relatively junior, are less confident about fulfilling the Prevent duty; and
• There were “widespread concerns” that the Prevent duty caused “increased stigmatism of Muslim students”

Commenting on the report, Chris Keates, the General Secretary of NASUWT, highlighted that “schools need appropriate support to ensure that the Prevent duty is being implemented in a way which supports equality and diversity in schools and promotes community cohesion”. This emphasises the strategic role that Governing Boards need to play in order to ensure the effective implementation of Prevent within their schools.

Weekly Safeguarding Briefing

Governors can subscribe to a weekly safeguarding briefing as it provides practical information and resources for anyone with responsibility for safeguarding.

Preventing & tackling bullying (updated guidance for schools)

The Department for Education (DfE) has updated its guidance for schools on preventing and tackling bullying.

The latest version (July 2017) includes additional information about how schools can support children and young people who are bullied.

Governing boards should familiarise themselves with the guidance, which also includes information on cyber-bullying and how to support vulnerable pupils.

Sexting in Schools and Colleges

Safeguarding governors may wish to share the following with school safeguarding leads. It contains a lot of information including a clear run through of the law in this area.

Sexting in schools and colleges: Responding to incidents and safeguarding young people by the UK Council for Child Internet Safety

General Data Protection Regulation – Is your school / academy trust ready?

Significant changes to the law on data protection will be coming into force on 25 May 2018.

Every organisation in the UK, including schools / academy trusts, will be required to comply with the new legislation – known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

To help organisations prepare for the changes, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has put together a 12-step guidance note which we recommend all Governors should be aware of.

School teachers' pay

On August 24^th the DfE issued Statutory guidance - School teachers' pay and conditions (STPCD).

The STPCD provides a framework for teachers’ pay and conditions, and is statutory for all maintained schools, although many academy trusts also choose to adopt the STPCD for their schools.

The main change is to take account of the September 2017 pay award, which gives a 2% uplift to the statutory minima and maxima of the main pay range and a 1% uplift to the minima and maxima of all other pay ranges in the national framework (including head teacher groups) and all allowances across pay ranges.

Schools must determine how to take account of the uplift for those not currently on the minimum, in line with their own pay policy.

Governing boards will need to ensure that their pay policies take account of the new requirements.

Updated exclusions guidance

The DfE has released updated guidance on exclusion for maintained schools, academies and pupil referral units.

When does the new statutory guidance come into force?

The new guidance comes into effect from 1 September 2017. Any exclusion issued before 1 September 2017 which is still subject to review would need to be considered under the 2012 statutory guidance.

Does the new statutory guidance change the exclusions process?

Whilst the new guidance makes changes to certain aspects of the exclusions process, the legal framework for excluding a child remains as it was before; the legislation and regulations (The School Discipline (Pupil Exclusions and Reviews) (England) Regulations 2012) remain unchanged.

What is the key change we need to be aware of?

The new guidance places a much greater emphasis on the role of governing boards in the exclusions process. Where required to do so, the governing board must meet to consider the exclusion by the head teacher – which is nothing new. However, the new guidance makes very clear that the focus of the Independent Review Panel (IRP) must be on the decision of the governing board, rather than the head teacher. It is therefore essential that governors actively consider the facts, test the evidence, properly consider all relevant policies, and check whether all procedures were followed given that it is their decision that will be scrutinised at the IRP stage. At least one member of the governor panel will need to attend any IRP in order to explain the decision taken by the panel and answer any questions.

How should we prepare for this change?

Given the focus of the new guidance, we recommend that governors read through and understand the new exclusions framework to ensure they are prepared for the greater focus on their decision-making. If they do not apply the correct legal tests or fail to follow due procedures, they risk their decision being quashed by an IRP and will have to re-take the decision with a presumption of reinstatement, or face a £4,000 fine.

Schools will also have to review any exclusion letters that they send out as the guidance requires some additional information to be sent out to parents following exclusion.

What other changes have been made?

The new guidance has also made changes to clarify some of the existing rules and procedures such as converting/extending exclusions, the process for reconsideration of the governors’ decision and adding further guidance on the funding that follows a permanently excluded pupil. 

A new Annex B contains non-statutory guidance for head teachers providing

• advice on the procedures that need to be in place before excluding a child
• and the process to follow after an exclusion

A new Annex C contains an additional FAQ section for parents, which answers some key questions that parents are likely to have.

Is there any change to the role of the SEN Expert?

Most of the provisions around Special Educational Needs (SEN) experts remain the same and parents are still able to request a SEN expert at the IRP stage regardless of whether the school believes the child has SEN. The new guidance now allows the SEN expert to provide advice to the IRP in writing, if parents agree. However, parents still have a right to request the SEN expert attends the hearing and are able to request an adjournment until the SEN expert can attend if the hearing is in progress. This suggests that the apparent flexibility is unlikely to be of much use to local authorities/trusts organising IRPs.

Academies Magazine

Governors in Academies may be interested to read the latest edition of the Academies Magazine.

Pilot questionnaire for parents of preschool children

In April 2017, a two-year ‘Ready for School?’ pilot project was launched in the north of Warwickshire to test an online health needs assessment questionnaire for 3-3.5 yr olds.

This is an adapted version of the Health Needs Assessment (HAPI) - currently used within school health. The aim of the project is to help support school readiness by identifying local public health priorities and appropriate interventions.

The online questionnaire, which was launched in July, is being tested in 3 areas of north Warwickshire, within the following Children’s Centre clusters: Stockingford Children’s Centre (Nuneaton district) St Michael’s Children’s Centre (Bedworth district) and Coleshill Children’s Centre (Rural North Warwickshire district).

Parents and carers will be asked to complete the questionnaire on behalf of their children with the aim of identifying any health support that their child may need in order to help them get ready for school. Children who are identified as requiring extra support will receive this from the Health Visiting Service or their Early Years setting. The questionnaire will remain open until October.

The Early Years settings will be given public health data and information relevant to their local and regional geographical areas, to inform them of their public health priorities.

To date the ‘Ready for School?’ project team have worked with 22 Early Years settings - as ‘early implementers’. Focus groups have been held with staff to understand the challenges in the delivery of the pilot, and to explore how best to achieve the project’s goals.

It is expected, during 2018, that the pilot will be rolled out across the whole of the north of Warwickshire, for the cohort of children starting school in September 2019.

For more information contact:
Hayley Norman, Project Lead School Readiness, Warwickshire School Health & Wellbeing Service, Tel: 03300 245 204, Email: Hayley.Norman@compass-uk.org

Free online guides to help parents feel more confident

Schools and settings may wish to disseminate the below to their parent communities:

All parents and carers of children aged 0-18 years old in Warwickshire can now access three FREE online guides, funded by the Smart Start Programme:

• Understanding your pregnancy, labour, birth and your baby guide
• Understanding your baby guide
• Understanding your child guide (6 months to 18 yrs of age)

These guides have been designed by the NHS and are part of the acclaimed ‘Solihull Approach’ programme, which supports mums, dads and carers to build positive relationships with their infants and children.

The main aim of the guides is to help parents and carers to strengthen the emotional resilience and wellbeing of their infants and children - so they’re able to bounce back from life’s various challenges as they move toward adulthood.

The ‘Understanding your child’ guide - which is most relevant to schools - helps parents understand how their child is feeling, how parents respond, different styles of parenting and how to have fun together. It also looks at the importance of sleep, self-regulation and anger, and ways for parents to communicate effectively with their child.

Note: A resource pack for the promotion of the ‘Understanding your child’ guide is being developed for use by schools. It will be sent to all schools by half-term.

Each guide is suitable for parents, grandparents and other carers, and can be completed flexibly at a parent’s own pace.

To access these three guides and their related FREE access codes, please visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/parentguides

Oral Health eLearning for Early Years Settings

At least 1 in 4 five year olds in Warwickshire have tooth decay when they start school.

Warwickshire County Council is currently finalising a FREE eLearning course, designed for all early years settings and those who work with children aged 0-5 years.

The aim is to give early years workers the knowledge, skills and confidence to share important oral health information with the young children and parents they work with.

Once the course is completed, learners will have access to a Warwickshire Early Years Oral Health Resource Pack which will provide them with various resources to support oral health promotion/campaigns within their early years settings.

This eLearning course is expected to be launched near to half-term.

For more information contact: Sophy Forman-Lynch, Public Health, Email: sophyfl@googlemail.com, Tel: 01926 412159

Introducing: Heathcote Primary School

Heathcote Primary School opened its doors to students this September. Lara Jeffries, Headteacher, introduces us to the school below:

On the 18^th of August the Community Academies Trust and I received the keys to our wonderful new school, Heathcote Primary, on the edge of Warwick and Leamington. Andy Mitchell, Headteacher at Woodloes in Warwick, led the project for CAT, including recruiting me to become Heathcote’s Headteacher. Since then we have worked closely together to ensure we were ready to open our doors to our very first pupils: 30 Reception children and a mixed KS1 class. We will gradually increase our number to include KS2 and eventually become two form entry.

Now the children are in it’s over to me and my amazing team! The role of Headteacher is a privilege in any setting; to be in the position where you are responsible for shaping the experiences and learning of the pupils in your care. Yet, this is surely rare in any teacher’s career - to be right there from the very beginning - the opportunities and challenges that presents are boundless, and for that I am truly grateful.

My vision, underpinned by the Trust’s core value of “Ensuring Excellence”, is to ensure children are not only challenged academically to achieve the very best they can, but also to embrace technology and creativity. I feel very strongly that if we do not have the foresight to look ahead we are at risk of under preparing our children for a world that requires a very different skill set to the one we have been used to. Not only do we need to provide children with skills to code and develop knowledge to meet the technological advances we are experiencing, we also need to nurture creativity. We will always need works of art, music, sculptures, and books. Heathcote will focus on developing the aforementioned areas, along with fostering understanding and empathy for, the fellow human beings they will be sharing their world with. Well, that’s the idea anyway!

Lara Jeffries
Headteacher
Heathcote Primary School

Find out more on Heathcote Primary School's website and Twitter account.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

You can also keep up to date on new school developments via the School Organisation webpage.

Introducing: Quest Academy

Below we hear from a new Warwickshire school, Quest Academy:

Quest Academy opens in September 2017. A sister school to Discovery Academy, Quest is a part of MacIntyre Academies Trust and will eventually be based in Rugby for children and young people with autism and or social emotional and mental health needs aged 9 -19. (The school will be in temporary accommodation for its first year of opening – based in Nuneaton.)

Nicola Wells, Principal of Quest Academy, has been in post since January 2017 to set up the new free school which opens with 30 pupils and will grow to 80 at full capacity in a few years. She has worked closely already with new pupils and their families to get their input from the beginning to shape the vision and culture of the school.

Nicola relocated from Sussex to set up Quest Academy and brings a wealth of experience over the past 30 years of teaching and leading in both mainstream and specialist settings. She is passionate about personalised learning and blended therapies to ensure an integrated and holistic approach to education. Her enthusiasm is shared with a skilled and experienced staff team who are all excited about Quest Academy becoming a school that works for families and makes a real difference in the lives of children and young people.

Find out more on Quest Academy's website and Twitter account. 

_____________________________________________________________________________

You can also keep up to date on new school developments via the School Organisation webpage.

Bilton Infant School awarded Online Safety Mark

Congratulations to Bilton Infant School, Rugby, who have recently been awarded the 360 degree safe Online Safety Mark.

Sarah Fitzgerald, ICTDS assessor of the school, reported:

‘It has been a real pleasure to have visited Bilton Infant School to experience the excellent commitment and enthusiasm of the children, staff and governors. The hard work and dedication of the Online Safety Officer, Miss Osborne, and Senior Leadership Team should be praised and it is clearly evident that Online Safety is a top priority at the school.”

Bilton Infant School has personalised its online safety rules, developing the character of PEGI the parrot, a rap (recorded with the help of Jason Moss from Rugby FM), and then a PEGI Parrot the Movie to promote online safety.

The 30th School to achieve the award in Warwickshire, Bilton Infant School share their wonderful animation entitled ‘PEGI PARROT – THE MOVIE’, which includes their rap and online safety rules, at the following link: http://www.biltoninfantschool.co.uk/online-safety-leaders-1/ 

Your guide to who's new

Induction for newly appointed and acting headteachers

A reminder to headteachers and acting headteachers newly appointed in this academic year or last academic year.

If you have not already booked a place on the headteacher induction programme for 2017-18, it is not too late to do so!

The first event takes places on Monday 18 September 2017 from 8.30 am – 4.00 pm at the Honiley Court Hotel, near Kenilworth. You can find an agenda for the first event here.

Please also see this outline of the full programme of events, which runs from September 2017 until March 2018.

The whole course content is aimed at headteachers who are new to Warwickshire, those who are already Warwickshire staff but new to headship, colleagues who are transferring to another school within Warwickshire and newly appointed acting headteachers. Delegates will receive updates on key topics and have the opportunity to meet other new headteachers and consider lessons learned from more experienced headteachers.

The cost for the full programme is £495 and this includes cost of presentations, delegate packs, cost of venues, refreshments, and lunch on full days.  There will be 4 full days and 2 half days, as outlined in the summary programme.

To book a place, please contact Heather Imbush on 01926 742632 or email heatherimbush@warwickshire.gov.uk

We look forward to welcoming you to the induction programme.

Thank you

NQT Welcome Meetings - Autumn 2017

Dates, times and locations have been arranged for this year's NQT Welcome Meetings. These are organised by the Local Authority which acts as the Appropriate Body for the induction of newly qualified teachers.

This training is free of charge to NQTs registered with Warwickshire LA and we would like all newly qualified teachers who will be starting their induction period in the Autumn term 2017 to attend.

Please note that attendance is compulsory and these are the only Welcome Meetings to be offered to NQTs this year! Booking is essential!

For the dates, how to book and more please see this flyer.

WCC Assessment Team Training 2017-2018

For the attention of Headteachers, Reception, Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 Teachers

Please find a link here to the Assessment Team Training Plan for the academic year 2017/18.

The booklet gives an overview of the courses on offer.  For full course details and to book a place please click on the corresponding link and complete the booking form (please complete one form per delegate).

STA recommend that we provide support for statutory moderation – these courses are to support Warwickshire Local Authority offers for statutory moderation.

Year 6-7 transition training for English teachers in secondary schools

This training course is for all Year 7 Teachers and English Teachers/Subject Leaders in Secondary Schools:

'Keeping up the momentum: a closer look at national standards at Key Stage 2 and how these might be built on in Year 7 and beyond'

• Develop a shared understanding of national standards in reading and writing by the end of Key Stage 2.
• Explore national documentation that supports effective teaching and learning of the statutory skills and robust and accurate assessment.
• Take a close look at the national end of Key Stage 2 standards in writing.
• Explore ways in which the statutory skills can be built upon in Year 7 and beyond.

COURSE LEADERS: Judith McDonagh and Rosemary Parker

DATE: Monday 9th October 2017

TIME: 1.30-4.30pm

VENUE: St Michael's Centre, Church Lane, Budbrooke, Warwick, CV35 8QL

National Professional Qualifications for school leadership

See the following update from Lawrence Sheriff School:

We are pleased to be able to announce that we have been selected by the Department for Education to be an accredited provider of the new suite of National Professional Qualifications for school leadership.

Our school-led partnership will continue to deliver quality provision across the wider West Midlands, under the cooperative name ‘Leadership Live’.  Our trained team of facilitators will be offering the National Professional Qualification for Middle Leadership (NPQML), National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL) and the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH).

Having been licensees for five years delivering the previous versions of the qualifications, Leadership Live are now ready to take that expertise forward to train the next generation of school leaders.

You can find out more information and how to book on the NPQ for Middle Leadership on this flyer.

For further information about the courses please contact Chris Blay on christine.blay@lawrencesheriffschool.com 

Teacher training in Warwickshire

Free TSST courses in Maths, French and Physics

The CATTS Alliance is working in partnership with Birmingham City University and the University of Plymouth to offer specific training for non-specialist teachers of Maths, Physics and French and to former teachers who are returning to the teaching profession.

Teacher Subject Specialism Training (TSST) courses are available free of charge to participants.

The purpose of this accredited training is twofold: to improve subject knowledge and to demonstrate teaching methods.

Who should do these courses?

• Existing teachers
• Non Subject Specialist Teachers
• NQTs
• Ex teachers who want to return to the profession

See this flyer for more detail and how to book, or contact Michelle Borders at m.borders@thepolesworthschool.com. 

Course on Mathematics in science teaching

Please see this flyer for information and how to book on training on Mathematics in Science teaching offered by North Midlands Science Learning Partnership:

Mathematics in science teaching

There is an increased mathematical demand in science and greater understanding is necessary to accelerate student learning and raise attainment. 

The course

Explore the typical weaknesses in mathematics that hinder students' ability to understand and solve scientific problems. Examine the skills and strategies needed to help you teach the mathematical aspects of science confidently.

Outcomes

You'll understand the weaknesses in understanding mathematics and will be able to identify pedagogies to address them. You'll learn how mathematics is used to make simple descriptions and predictions in science and how this might be supported by software examples.

The course will run on 12th October at The Polesworth School, Tamworth

Heritage Education - Free twilight training session for primary teachers

Heritage Education are inviting primary school teachers to take part in a FREE twilight session at Market Hall Museum, Warwick on 10th October (4 pm – 5.30 pm).

Learn about our new primary school workshops covering the Science, History and Arts curriculum and how they can enhance your teaching in the classroom.

Plus our current workshops have been revamped so come and find out more. Refreshments are available.

Places are FREE but limited so please book in advance at www.warwickshire.gov.uk/heritageboxoffice 

If you require any more information please email heritageeducation@warwickshire.gov.uk or call 01926 412069.

Visit http://heritage.warwickshire.gov.uk/heritage-education/ to see all workshops on offer.

Music teaching workshop for primary school staff

The Griffin Teaching School Alliance are offering a workshop in music teaching for primary school staff:

Would you like to be able to deliver fun hands-on music sessions? Do you feel you haven’t the necessary skills or training to do this?

Come and join our innovative new workshops for KS2 Teachers and Teaching Assistants and find out how.

No musical experience, knowledge of music theory, or large stock of musical instruments needed, just enthusiasm for music and a willingness to join in and have a go! We aim to set you up to be able to confidently deliver KS2 Music lessons that fulfil all the strands of the National Curriculum.

See this flyer for dates and how to book.

Headteachers' Briefing Dates

For any queries please contact schoolpartnerships@warwickshire.co.uk

Primary and Secondary SENCo Conference

SENCOs and Senior SEN Leads are invited to attend the Vulnerable Learner Services' Training Primary and Secondary SENCo Conference.

Monday 9th October, 8.45am-4pm
Dunchurch Park Hotel, Dunchurch, Rugby, CV22 6QW

Speakers:

David Bartram: "Creating great SEN provision through school to school collaboration"

Natalie Packer: "The SENCo role in Whole School Improvement"

In the afternoon there is a choice of two of the following workshops:

• Attachment - Jane Sowter, EPS
• The principles of Inclusive Assessment - Natalie Packer
• Effective Strategies for meeting the needs of primary learners with literacy difficulties - Holly Swinton
• Evidencing your school's graduated response - Ellen Gadd, SENDAR
• Meeting the challenges of 21st Century learners - Debs Gunby, IDS

Workshop descriptions will be emailed to you so you can select your choices.

The conference is £50 per person, and booking is essential to reserve your place; click here to complete the booking form or for any queries please email meltwells@warwickshire.gov.uk

See the flyer for the conference.

Passchendaele 100 Memorial Concert

Army West Midlands would like to highlight this upcoming event:

As part of the Army West Midlands ongoing World War 1 centenary commemoration, 2 free matinee concerts will be held in the Bramall Music Building at Birmingham University over 8th and 9th November 2017 to commemorate the ending of the Battle of Passchendaele and its effect from when it began in July 1917.

The Concert will follow the tale of 18 year old ‘Tommy’ who joins the Birmingham Pals Battalion and finds himself at the front. His story and of those at home will be told through music, dance, song and narration - bringing to life and giving insight into his world at that time with the help of military bands, Birmingham City Choir and local schools.

Over the past 3 years, the Army in the West Midlands has been heavily involved in First World War commemoration as part of its responsibility to remember and learn from those who have gone before us. From large events in cities to working with school children on our Soldiers to School project, it is important to us to help our communities remember with us the lives of those who sacrificed so much 100 years ago.

We would like to invite schools and teachers to attend our event and also to contribute to the exhibition which will be there for all attending to view. Contributions can be in the form of art works, poems or projects which can be displayed on boards around the Bramall Theatre foyer.

There will also be a separate concert open to the general public on the evening of 8th November.

If your school would be interested in attending the matinee event, contributing to the Passchendaele Project displays or attending the evening event for the general public, please get in touch with WO2 Ray Miller at the address below:

Passchendaele100.ArmyWestMids@gmail.com